Machine for stacking strip shingles



Jan. 10, 1956 D. s. ROBERTS MACHINE FOR STACKING STRIP SHINGLEIS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 18, 1951 (ZZZ? w 139W) I U [gal 1956 D. s. ROBERTS MACHINE FOR STACKING STRIP SHINGLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 18, 1951 JIEw/Z r Jazz? JT [Ma/1% 61 m I Jan. 10, 1956 D. s. ROBERTS MACHINE FOR STACKING STRIP SHINGLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 18, 1951 Jan. 10, 1956 D. s. ROBERTS MACHINE FOR STACKING STRIP SHINGLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 18, 1951 United States Patent- 2,730,302 MACHINE FOR STACKING STRIP sumo-Liz's Deering S. Roberts, Marshfield, Irl'ass.

Application September 18, 1951, Serial No. 247,168

6 Claims. (Cl. 235-132) This invention relates to a method of and a machine for collecting strip shingles as they come from a shingle making machine and removing such strip shingles in stacks or piles containing predetermined numbers of the shingles.

Strip shingles of the kind to which the invention pertains are customarily made by a machine in which a wide sheet of roofing felt is drawn from a supply rolland led through a bath .of-molten asphalt which thoroughly impregnates the sheet. The excess asphalt is squeezed .from the sheet which .is allowed to cool sufficiently to congeal the absorbed asphalt. A coating of oxidized asphalt .in molten condition is then applied to the sheet and comminuted grit is at once showered on the coatingand rolled into .tirm adhesive contact therewith. The excess grit is removed and the sheet is slittedinto .a number of strips which are chopped to sever therefrom individual strip shingles. As these are discharged from the machine,.they must be collected, removed from the machine, and packaged for shipment. The practical problem of manipulating the strip shingles as they come from the .machineso as to form stacks containing predetermined -uumbersnf units and to remove such stackswhe ncompletedhasnecessitated the operation of the machine at .aspeed far lower than its capacity. The various mechanisms .which have heretofore been constructed to stack and transfer the strip shingles issuing from the machine have been unsuccessful, so that the bulk of .such Work is still a difficult and laborious manual operation.

To cover a square .of roof, eighty strip shinglesof ordinary standard size are required. It is customary to package this number in .three bundles of 27., 27, and 26 respectively. Furthermore, since-the butt portions of strip shingles of the better grades are somewhat thicker than the head portion, it is desirable that half of the shingles in each package he turned end-for-end with respect to the other half, so that the thickness of each bundle .Will be substantially uniform.

According .to the presentiinvention, a knownelectronic counting device is used tocountthe units cut from each of the strips into which thesheet isslitted. Theseconnb ing devices are arranged to controlamechanism by which strip shinglesare collected in apile until a predetermined number have been received,.whereupon the pile is quickly dumped in sucha manner that the next successive strip shingle .from the machine is received imposition as the initial unit of the next pile. When thirteen -or fourteen (or any other desired number) of-units have been v,pil-ed up and dumped, thepileis turned end for .end to vreceive thereon the next pile to be dumped. When the second pile is dumped on to thefirst pile, the resulting bundle is removed .andpackaged for shipment.

The successful operation of themechanism embodying the invention depends on the extremely rapid operation timed relation with thermovementofthe last: shingle unit to be deposited on the. pile. To this end, the mechanism physically attached thereto.

2,730,302 Patented Jan. 10, 1956 includes feeding means which receive the shingle units successively from the machine and advance them at a constant linear speed. The electronic counting device is adjusted to cause the dumping mechanism to operate a split-second before the final shingle for the pile lands thereon. This reduces to a minimum the time required for the pile to be dumped and the dumping means to be returned to their normal positions to receive the next successive shingle as thelowermost in the new pile to be accumulated.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the delivery end of a machine formaking roofing, having embodiments of the present invention. attached thereto;

Figure'Z is an-elevational view, on a larger scale, indicated on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is asection on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, also on a larger scale;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure l but on a'larger scale and showing more detail;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the mechanism shown in Figure "4;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a turntable for reversing piles of strip shingles;

'Figure 7 is a similar plan view showing the parts in a different position of operation;

Figure '8 is an elevational view of the turntable shown in Figure 6, a half bundle of strip shingles being indicated on the carrier mounted on the turntable;

Figure '9 is similar to Figure 8 except that it shows a complete bundle of shingles on the carrier;

Figure '10 is a diagram of the electronic apparatus for controlling the apparatus of the machine; and

Figure 1 1 is a wiring diagram of the electrical units indicated in Figure 10.

In Figure "l is shown the delivery end portion 20 of a machine for making strip shingles. The machine operates on a wide sheet of roofing felt which, after being impregnated and coated with asphalt and covered with grit particles, is slitted into a number of strips,'five strips being indicated in Figure 1. These strips are transversely choppedto form fivecolumns o'fstrip shingles 22 which are delivered for accumulation and packaging. In order to facilitate the handling'of the strips from the five columns, alternate columns are extended so that the strip shinglestherein are delivered at a point beyond the point of delivery of the other column so that the delivery stations are staggered. According to the invention a shingle receiving and stacking unit 24 is installed at each delivery station. Thus, as indicated .in Figure '5, a receiving and stacking unit'is providedforeachof the five columns of shingles delivered from the machine.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate in more detail one of the receiving units shown in Figure 1. These units may be completely independent of "the roofing machine or may be As shown, the unit is mounted one frame 26 and includes apair of 'feed rolls -28-which are arranged to receive strip shingles 22 from the roofing-machine. Such shingles may be delivered by :meansof aconveyoribelt 30 many other suitable means,

to a guide table 32'by' whic'h'they are directed to the nip of rolls 28. These rolls are operated in such a speed that the strip shingles fed thereby areadvanced at a substantially higher rate of linear speed than the rate of delivery from the roofing machine. As the strip shingles emerge from therolls 28 they are projected over a guide @table 34-.to :a s'top plate36. Between the guide table and the stop plate. is agate which istransversely horizontal but which preferably-slopes longitudinally away from the rolls 23. This gate consists of two flaps or leaves which are hinged to rock about parallel axes 42 which extend longitudinally of the leaves along their mutually remote edges. As indicated in Figure 3, the leaves 40 are arranged to swing from a position shown in full lines wherein the leaves are in a common plane to positions shown in broken lines wherein the leaves are in substantially vertical parallel planes. One of the leaves is provided with struck up tongues 44 as indicated in Figure 5 to prevent the tabs or flaps of the strip shingles which are deposited upon the pile from catching on the corners of the adjacent fiaps or tabs of the topmost strip shingle which is already on the pile. Since the strip shingles which come from the machine are Warm and somewhat limp, the rapid feeding movement serves to eject them over the pile of shingles on the gate before the leading end of the projected shingle sags sufliciently to catch on the topmost shingle of the pile. Upright guides 45 extend from the table 34 to the stop plate 36, the upper portions being flared away from each other to guide the strip shingles on to the pile on the gate 40 in proper longitudinal alignment. In Figures 4 and 5 of. the drawings, portions of these guides are broken away to show other parts of the machine more clearly.

Any suitable means may be employed for driving the feed rolls. As indicated, an electric motor 46 may be connected through a gear box 48 to a shaft 50 which is driven at a considerably reduced speed. This shaft may be connected by a chain and sprocket Wheels to the shaft 52 of the lower feed roll 28. The motor 46 is driven at a constant speed so that a definite linear speed is imparted to each strip shingle passing between the feed rolls 28 regardless of the rate at which the shingles are advanced on the conveyor 30.

When a predetermined number of strip shingles have been piled on the gate leaves 40, the leaves are automatically rocked downward to permit the pile to fall down between them onto a conveyor or to the suitable support arranged to receive them. As shown in Figures 4 and 5 a conveyor consisting of a frame 54 having rolls 56 there on is provided beneath the gate. Since the successive strip shingles which are fed through the feed rolls 28 follow each other in rapid succession when the roofing machine is in operation, it is necessary that when the pile of strip shingles on the gate is dumped onto the conveyor below, the leaves of the gate be quickly returned to their normal position so as to be ready to receive the next successive strip shingle from the feed rolls. This requires rapid operation of the mechanism which rocks the leaves 40 down and back, and also requires split second timing of the rocking of the leaves in relation to the movement of the last strip shingle to be deposited on each pile before it is dumped. The mechanism for rocking the gate leaves 40 is illustrated in Figure 2. This mechanism comprises a crank arm 69 mounted on each rock shaft 42, the crank arms 60 being connected by suitable links 62 to a vertical piston rod 64 which is attached to a piston 66 reciprocable in a cylinder 68. A suitable fluid such as air or oil is supplied under pressure through an inlet pipe 70 to a control valve 72 by which the fluid is admitted to either the upper or lower end of the cylinder 68 to reciprocate the piston 66, the opposite end of the cylinder being simultaneously connected to an exhaust duct 74. The valve is operated by two solenoids and 82. When the solenoid 80 is energized, the valve is actuated to direct the power fluid to the lower end of the cylinder 68 so as to move the piston 66 upward, this resulting in the rocking of the gate leaves 40 down to their vertical positions as shown by broken lines in Figure 3. When the piston rod 64 rises to its uppermost position, it engages a plunger 34 which projects down from a switch box 86, and pushes this plunger upward so as to close the switch. This switch is connected in a circuit with the solenoid 82 and a suitable source of electric energy, the electric connections not being indicated on the drawing. As a result, the solenoid 82 is instantly energized and the valve is moved to the position shown in Figure 2, thus directing power fluid to the upper end of the cylinder 68 and forcing the piston down to the position shown in Figure 2. This swings the leaves 40 back to the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 wherein they lie in a common plane and are in position to receive strip shingles from the feed rolls 28. The speed of reciprocation of the gate leaves must be regulated to permit the shingles theron to fall clear before the leaves return to their normal position. This speed of operation is controlled by regulating the pressure of the power fluid which actuates the piston 66.

In order to provide for accurate timing of the operation of the gate leaves, I provide a light source which projects a beam of light down through a hole 92 in the table 34 so as to strike a photoelectric cell 94 beneath the table. Every time a strip shingle passes through the feed rolls 28, it cuts off the light beam from the lamp 90 to the cell 94, thus making a change in an electric circuit through the cell. As diagrammatically indicated in Figure 10, the cell is connected to an amplifier 96 by which the impulse resulting from the interception of the light beam by the leading edge of the strip shingle is amplified and passed on to a pulse adjuster 98 by which the impulses are adjusted to a uniform length regardless of speed at which the shingles pass the light beam. The adjusted pulses are transmitted to an electric counting device 100 which is set to count predetermined numbers of shingles which pass through the rolls 28. When the last of the shingles for a given pile is being fed through the rolls 28, the counter sends a signal to a timing device which is adjusted to operate the valve solenoid 80 after an adjusted time interval just sufficient to permit the strip shingle which is then passing through the rolls 28 to complete such passage and to land upon the top of the pile of shingles on the gate. At that instant the leaves are rocked down to permit the pile to fall on the conveyor below. A wiring diagram for the electronic apparatus for controlling the operation of the gates is given in Figure 11 of the drawings, but as the several units are not per se a part of the present invention, the diagram is not described in detail.

Since the butt portions of strip shingles of the better grades are usually thicker than the head portions of such strip shingles, it is desirable to reverse the upper half of the bundle end for end so that the completed bundle wil be of even thickness. To this end, the first pile of strip shingles to be deposited upon the conveyor 54 is swung around and for end while the second pile is being accumulated on the gate. This is done by means of a turntable on which the conveyor 54 is mounted. The turntable is operated by means of a motor (not shown) which constantly drives the gear wheel 112 (Figure 2). As hereinafter described, a solenoid 114 (Figure 5) is automatically energized through the timer 102 when the first pile for each bundle has been deposited on the conveyor 54. The solenoid 114 rocks a bell crank 116 which actuates a one revolution clutch mechanism of well known construction, this clutch serving to connect the turntable 110 to the rotating gear wheel 112 for a single revolution.

In order to prevent the conveyors 54 and the piles of shingles thereon from interfering with adjacent conveyors, the conveyors may be supported at different levels and they may also be pivotally mounted as at 120 on their respective turntables 110 at points offset from the axes of rotation of the respective turntables, as illustrated in Figures 6-9. A fixed pin 122 is mounted in a position to be adjacent to a side edge of each conveyor when the conveyor is ready to receive a pile of shingles from the gate above it. When the turntable starts to rotate, the edge of the conveyor slides against the pin 122 until it reaches the position indicated in broken lines in Figure 6. The conveyor then swings around with the turntable until its opposite side edge engages the pin 122 when the conveyor is in the angular position indicated in Figure 7. During the remaining portion of the single rotation of the turntable, the edge of the conveyor bears against the pin 122 with the result thatthe conveyor swings in a counterclockwise direction to the position indicated in broken lines in Figure 7, this position being exactly the same as its starting position except that the conveyor has been turned end for end. The conveyor is then properly located directly beneath a gate 40 and is ready to receive the second pile of strip shingles to complete the bundle. When this second pile has been discharged onto the first pile on the conveyor, the bundle is then removed by any suitable means and is packaged for shipment.

A wiring diagram of the electronic portion of the apparatus is shown in Figure 11. A pulse caused by a decrease of light on the photoelectric tube 94' resulting from the passage of the leading edge of a strip shingle between this tube and the light source 90 is amplified by a type 68]? tube 130 and transmitted by suitable coupling means to a type 2050 tube 132. This tube immediately conducts a current of electricity which causes a pilot lamp 134 to light and energizes the coil of a relay switch 136. A pair of contacts of the switch 136 are connected to a coil 138 of a release magnet for the counting mechanism 100, hereinafter described. Another pair of contacts of the switch 136, when closed, start a timing cycle with a type 6817 tube 140 and its associated components, the length of the cycle being adjustable by a potentiometer 141. At the end of this timing cycle a relay switch 142 is opened momentarily, resetting the tube 132 and opening the relay switch 136. This action forms the pulse for the counter and the duration of such pulse is the same, regardless of the speed of the shingles which pass the light source 90.

Power for the electronic tubes 94, 130, 132, 134 and the electronic relays 136 and 142 is furnished by a conventional rectifier circuit using a full wave rectifier tube 144 which is of the type Y3 and a transformer 146, together with a type VR150 tube 148 to compensate for minor line voltage fluctuations. When the relay 136 is closed, the coil 138 of the counting mechanism 100 is energized, utilizing power furnished by a selenium rectifier 150. Each time the coil 138 is energized, represent ing the passage of one shingle, a pilot light 152 is lighted and a stepping switch 153, conventionally indicated on the drawing, is advanced a step.

When the stepping switch 153 is operated a number of times equal to the number of strip shingles to be accumulated in a particular pile, a circuit is closed to a relay switch 154. The contacts of this relay switch are connected to a type 2050 tube 156 and when closed cause it to conduct an electric current which opens a relay switch 158. This in turn starts a timing cycle with a type 6J5 tube 160 and its associated components. During this timing cycle a pilot lamp 162 is lighted. After the timing cycle, the tube 160 causes a relay 164 to be energized and a pair of contacts of this relay breaks a connection between the relay switch 158 and the tube 156. This resets the timing sequence. Another timing sequence cannot be started as long as the relay 154 remains energized. This precludes any occurrence of another counting operation until another shingle passes the light source 90 so as to cause the counting mechanism to operate and to release the relay 154. Thus a pulse of proper duration is formed for the dumping of the shingles regardless of the speed of the shingles or the stopping of a shingle in front of the light source.

A relay switch 166 is employed for manually dumping the shingles and resetting the timer. It does so by causing the counting mechanism 100 to return to its home position. This relay is actuated by a push button 168.

Power for the electronic tubes 156 and 160 and for the relays 154, 158, 164 and 166 is furnished by a conventional rectifier circuit utilizing a full wave rectifier tube 170 and a transformer 172. A rectifier 174 is used as a source of negative voltage in the timing circuit.

I claim:

1. Mechanism for stacking and discharging strip shingles, comprising a pairof feed rolls, means supporting said rolls in position to receive successive strip shingles from a shingle manufacturing machine, means for driving said rolls to feed strip shingles at a constant linear speed greater than the linear speed of delivery from the manufacturing machine, temporary supporting means adjacent to said rolls to receive strip shingles there from, a fixed stop member at the further end of said temporary supporting means 'to be struck by the leading ends of the strip shingles fed by said rolls, means for actuating said temporary supporting means to dump the strip shingles thereon, and photo-electrically controlled means for actuating said temporary support means in accurate timed relation with the emergence of a strip shingle from said feed rolls.

2. Mechanism for counting and stacking strip shingles or the like, comprising means for feeding successive strip shingles at a predetermined linear speed, adjustable driving means for said feeding means, support means for collecting and supporting strip shingles in receiving relation with respect to said feeding means, said collecting and supporting means comprising a pair of hinged shelves normally in a common plane and hinged at their mutually remote parallel edges to rock downward through angles of counting mechanism responsive to the passage of strip shingles through said feeding means, and means controlled by said counting mechanism to rock said shelves down and back to discharge the shingles thereon after a predetermined number of strip shingles have passed through said feeding means and have formed a stack on said shelves and in predetermined timed relation with the advance of the final strip shingle to be added to each stack, whereby the rocking means operates when said final strip shingle reaches a predetermined point in its travel from the feeding means to the stack.

3. Mechanism for stacking and discharging strip shingles, comprising a pair of feed rolls, means for driving said rolls at a predetermined constant rate, a support for strip shingles in line with the feeding direction of said rolls and sloping downwardly away from the rolls, means operable to move said support out from under the strip shingles thereon so as to dump such strip shingles, a light source supported adjacent to said rolls to project a beam across the path of the strip shingles emerging from said rolls, and means including a photoelectric cell located in the path of said beam for causing said dumping means to operate in timed relation to the emergence from said feed rolls of the last of a predetermined number of strip shingles to be fed through the said rolls.

4. Mechanism for receiving strip shingles in succession endwise, counting and stacking said shingles, and discharging the stack at the instant a predetermined number of shingles have assembled therein, said mechanism comprising a temporary support for a stack of shingles, a photo-electric element adjacent to said support, means projecting a light beam toward said element, means for delivering successive strip shingles endwise to said support, said photo-electric element and light source being so located that the light beam from the source to the element is cut off by the leading edge of each strip shingle as it nears said support and is reestablished by the trailing edge of such strip shingle, counting means activated by each reestablishment of the light beam to the photoelectric element, and means for operating the support to dump the strip shingles stacked thereon and return to shingle receiving position in response to the last of a predetermined number of activations of said counting means following each operation of the support.

5. Mechanism as in claim 4, said support operating means including means to delay the initiation of the dump ing movement until the instant the last shingle to be delivered to the stack reaches the stack.

6. Mechanism for stacking and discharging strip shingles, comprising means for receiving and advancing successive strip shingles endwise at a predetermined constant rate, a support for strip shingles in a line with the feeding direction of said advancing means and sloping downwardly away therefrom, means operable to move said support out from under the strip shingles thereon so as to dump such strip shingles, a light source supported adjacent to said advancing means to project a beam across the path of the strip shingles being discharged from said advancing means, and means including a photo-electric cell located in the path of said beam for causing said dumping means to operate in timed relation to the discharge from said advancing means of the last of a pre determined number of strip shingles to be discharged from said advancing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wanders Nov. 14, Hart et a1 Sept. 21, Steegmuller May 15, Winkler et a1. Jan. 16, McMaster July 13, Wolff Nov. 14, Gieseke May 24, Potter Sept. 26, Moneypenney et a1, Oct. 23, 

